SPORTS DIGEST: Lots going on for all ages

Kickin’ it Saturday

The Resource Center for Victims of Violent Death is hosting “Kickin’ It!,” a fundraising kickball tournament on Saturday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Rio Rancho Sports Complex.

It’s planned to be an eight-team, single-elminiation tournament, with a consolation bracket. Teams can have between 10 and 15 players, and the cost of registration for a team is $200. Players will receive a T-shirt.

Players are urged to bring their own lunch, chairs and shade. Food trucks, water and snacks will be on site.

To register, or for more information, call 505-250-5689 or email [email protected].

All proceeds go to the Resource Center for Victims of Violent Death.

 

Tennis, anyone?

Rio Rancho Hi9gh School is holding a youth tennis camp June 20-22 on the RRHS courts from 9-11:30 a.m. each day. The camp, to be led by RRHS boys tennis coach Tom Gutierrez, is for boys and girls ages 6-15 and costs $65 in advance.

Campers should be wearing sneakers, and bring their own racquet, water bottle and snacks.

For more information, contact Gutierrez at [email protected] or call 505-450-9819.

 

New Rams coach plans camp

Lori Mabrey, the new varsity girls basketball coach at Rio Rancho High School, gets a start on her second stint at RRHS with a “Lock Down” girls camp June 13-17 at Lincoln Middle School.

The camp, coached by Mabrey and “defensive all-stars,” including former Cibola standout Amaya Brown, playing next season at UNM, is free and includes a T-shirt.

More information will be forthcoming. Mabrey may be reached at 505-249-3883.

 

Youth soccer camp here in June

Longtime Rio Rancho High School boys soccer coach John Shepard is conducting a soccer camp for kids ages 7-12 from 8-11 a.m. on June 22, 23 and 24.

The camp will take place on the RRHS soccer pitch. Instruction will be by the Rams coaching staff and returning players.

Players will receive instruction and practice of basic skills and tactics. More advanced players will be challenged with more advanced techniques and tactics. Each player gets an RRHS Rams Soccer T-shirt.

The cost is $99 per player; $120 for June 22 walk-ups, although space is not guaranteed.

Registration may be done at rioranchocamps.net.

For more information, contact Shepard at [email protected] or 505-896-4042.

 

Rams need JV girls soccer coach

Longtime Rio Rancho High School varsity girls soccer coach Uwe Balzis will retire from RRPS effective July 1.

He plans are to return to RRHS and teach German on a part-time basis; he also would like to return to RRHS in the future to coach girls soccer.

Longtime Rams assistant Todd Doss has been promoted to head coach for the 2022 season.

Doss needs a junior varsity coach for the ’22 season, an assignment that comes with a stipend.

If interested, email Doss at [email protected].

 

Youth basketball camp at RRHS

The second of two Rio Rancho summer youth basketball camps, hosted by head coach Wally Salata, his assistant coaches and current players, runs June 13-17 in the RRHS gym.

The camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon each day, with fundamentals stressed from 9-11 and games played from 11 to noon.

The camp is open to boys and girls in four divisions (fall 2022 grades K-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-9, and no experience in necessary. The cost is $125 per session, with a maximum of 120 per session, and 30 campers per division. Every camper receives a camp basketball and T-shirt, and a concession stand with “Ram cones” will be available.

For more information and registration, go rioranchocamps.net.

 

Basketball camp at Cleveland, too

Cleveland High girls basketball hosts its second of two “Next Level” basketball skills camps this spring for girls and boys going into grades 3-9 June 13-15, from 8:30-noon each day.

The cost is $85.

Sign up at clevelandcamps.net. For more information, contact head coach Susan Kubala at [email protected] or 505-550-2523.

 

Storm boys have hoops camp

An individual summer camp hosted by Cleveland High boys basketball coach Sean Jimenez takes place in the CHS gym, aka the Thunderdome, Monday-Wednesday this week from 9 a.m. to noon each day.

It’s for boys and girls ages 7-14, costs $85 per camper in advance ($100 on Monday registration, if spots still available) and includes a T-shirt and prizes.

A concession stand will be open.

For more information, contact Jimenez at 505-730-8878 or [email protected]

 

RRHS has two volleyball camps

Ram Camp 1: Designed for players (grades 1-6 in fall 2022) interested in learning the game of volleyball. No experience is necessary. Emphasis of the camp will include introduction of fundamentals and techniques for all basic volleyball skills of passing, attacking, serving, footwork, setting and defense.

This camp will also emphasize volleyball skills and drills to prepare sixth- grade players for Rio Rancho Metro League and middle school tryouts (where applicable). Small group games will be played daily.

The camp runs from 6-8 p.m. June 23-24 and from 9-11 a.m. June 25. The cost is $65 ($75 for walk-ups) and campers will receive a T-shirt and be eligible to win door prizes each day.

Ram Camp 2: Designed to prepare players for tryouts in their respective grade. This camp will emphasize volleyball skills and drills to prepare seventh- thru 12th-grade players for school tryouts. Fundamentals and techniques for all basic volleyball skills will be emphasized. Additional time will be focused on small and large group team play.

The camp runs from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 1-3. The cost per camper is $85 ($100 on day of), and campers get a T-shirt and the chance to win a door prize each night.

Rams varsity volleyball coach Toby Manzanares, whose first season with the Rams was in 1997, and his assistants and area coaches will instruct.

 

Meanwhile, out on the lanes…

The New Mexico Open (Aug. 19-21) at Tenpins & More is offering a prize fund in excess of $60,000 in its 18th renewal.

It’s likely to be confirmed that Pitre/New Mexico car dealership will provide a new car for the first 300 bowled in the four-person championship round that will be broadcast, along with more than 30 hours of coverage over three days, on the internet platform BowlStreamTV.com

Bowled on an always testing and different sport condition, created by former PBA bowler Mike Miller, high scores are a “treat” for contestants, as occasionally the stellar field win a high game per pair award with scores as low as 210.

This year’s winner will receive a check for $11,000, based on 192 entries. There are five qualifying squads so the maximum tournament size is 240, which would boost the payout to more than $69,000.

Dylan Taylor of Scottsdale is defending champion after beating favored PBA star Francois Lavoie of Wichita by one pin with an eight count on the fill ball.

It was the second time in the last three years that a single pin has decided the outcome, with Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, striking on his last throw to beat Brandon Grant of Los Angeles in 2018. (There was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19 closure).

“We have secured many local and national sponsors, which have enabled us to keep the entry fee at $270 — much less than most national tournaments of this nature,” said tournament director Steve Mackie.

Eight-game qualifiers are set for Aug. 19 and 20. An incentive of $2,000 in squad prizes has been added to Friday’s sessions from the Principal Financial Group. The top 32 scorers bowl double-elimination matches Aug. 21.

Since the tournament started in 2004, John Young of Albuquerque is the only person to win twice (2004, ’05). Other champions include Team USA members, David Haynes, Mark French, Nathan Bohr and Jakob Butturff, along with Vernon Peterson and recent USBC Hall-of-Fame inductee, Andrew Cain.

Entry forms are available from www.tenpinsmore.com by pressing the New Mexico Open tab then print flyer at bottom of the section.